At 57.5x trailing earnings, COF screens optically expensive, yet the 7.9 forward P/E and 0.8 forward PEG scream compression and earnings normalization ahead. The market is pricing in a sharp earnings recovery despite a weak 5.60% ROE and razor-thin 1.90% operating margin, which hardly justify a premium multiple. The real red flag is the Altman Z-Score of 0.5, a distress-level reading that overshadows the attractive forward multiple and suggests balance sheet fragility the market may be underestimating. This is a classic case of a stock that looks cheap on forward earnings but carries material financial risk beneath the surface.